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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Guest Post: Chealsea Fine + Giveaway!

There are many differences between my YA contemporary title, Sophie & Carter, and the first book in my YA paranormal series, Anew.

Sophie & Carter is about two high school seniors who grow up next-door to one another and find strength, safety and—eventually—love in the friendship they develop through the years. They are from abusive and negligent families and have little to believe in, yet they find hope for a brighter future in each other.

Anew (the first book in my Archers of Avalon series) is about a girl who wakes up without her memories and struggles to piece together her past as she battles a five hundred year-old curse, searches for the fountain of youth, and tries not to fight her attraction to her boyfriend’s brother.

Right off the bat, these are very different books. Sophie & Carter is told in first person, from two POVs, while Anew is written in third person, from three POVs. Sophie & Carter is contemporary, while Anew is paranormal. Sophie & Carter is a novella, while Anew is a full-length novel. But the truest distinction between these two stories?

The “vibe”.

That’s right. I just used the word “vibe”.

Sophie & Carter is a heavy story. I cried a lot while I was writing it. Like choking-on-my-tears-while-boogers-ran-down-my-face kind of crying. It was super sexy. :)

It drained me to write this little book and, because I didn’t have an outline, I had no idea where the story was going. So every word I typed out was really raw, unplanned, and utterly terrifying to create. But when I was finished…ahhh! :) I was euphoric. Sophie & Carter was an intense emotional roller coaster ride that filled me with hope, but also made me want to take a weeklong nap, haha.

Anew was the complete opposite. I had the series outlined before I started writing book one so I knew where the story was headed long before I began. And there were no tears or snot puddles this time, which was nice because, during my tears-on-the-keyboard experience with Sophie & Carter, the ‘x’ button got all clogged up and hasn’t worked properly ever since. So yeah. Snot-free Anew was awesome. It was really fun to write and, because it was the first book in my series, it was also really exciting to write!

I didn’t intend to write such different books, but I did. And honestly, I loved—and grew—from the two experiences.

Sophie & Carter pushed me out of my comfort zone, broke my heart, put it back together, and kicked my butt. But it was an amazing challenge for me as a writer and I think I’m better because of it. I had to throw away everything I knew about storytelling and just let the story write itself. It was scary, but it was also liberating.

Anew really forced me to grow as a narrator. I had to keep track of three POVs and a giant back-story that, if told too soon or too quickly, would have killed the book, haha. It was like herding cats. But with characters. And an unruly plot. And less “meow”ing.

I’m totally not doing that. That would be crazy. That would be like herding cats on crack. Cracked-out cats are crazy.

So I’m not doing that.

I don’t think.

Well…maybe.

How hard could it be? *taps chin*

Actually…now that I think about it… *runs away to open a new Word document* ;)

Wow! That was amazing! I loved reading Sophie and Carter, and I can't wait to start Anew! :)

Now more about Anew!

Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in a forest alone, afraid, and with no memory. Lost and confused, her past was a complete mystery...until she met Gabriel Archer. Intrigued by his voice and its familiarity, Scarlet immerses herself in his life only to stumble on a secret. Gabriel has a brother. Once Scarlet meets Tristan Archer, her life becomes even more muddled. She’s instinctively drawn to both of them and confused out of her mind. She can’t figure out why Gabriel feels so familiar or why she’s so attracted to Tristan. But the Archer brothers have more than just one secret and they know a lot about Scarlet that she doesn’t—including the fact that she’s cursed. They all are.

More about Chealsea!

Chelsea lives in Phoenix, AZ where she spends most of her time writing young adult fiction, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.